'Manifest': Cambridge Dictionary Word of the Year

The Cambridge Dictionary's Word of the Year has been revealed as "manifest", after a global wellness trend endorsed by celebrities including singer Dua Lipa.

The traditional definition included the adjective "easily noticed or obvious" and the noun "to show something clearly through signs or actions".

It now includes “to manifest" in the sense of "to imagine achieving something you want, in the belief doing so will make it more likely to happen".

But social psychology professor Dr Sander van der Linden, from the University of Cambridge, warned that "manifesting wealth, love, and power has no scientific basis and can lead to unrealistic expectations and disappointment".

Other celebrities who spoke of manifesting their success in 2024 included  US Olympic gymnast Simone Biles and England striker Ollie Watkins.

Wendalyn Nichols, publishing manager of the Cambridge Dictionary, said: "Manifest won this year because it increased notably in look-ups, its use widened greatly across all types of media due to events in 2024, and it shows how the meanings of a word can change over time."

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